No. 9 Harvard Set to Host No. 2 Princeton Saturday on Cambridge Day

No. 9 Harvard will host No. 2 Princeton this Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT on Cambridge Day. The winner of the final regular-season game at Jordan Field will claim a prime position in the tight race for the Ivy League title.

The matchup will be the Crimson’s third against a top-five team this season.

Harvard (9-2, 3-1 Ivy) began the year with an 8-0 record for the first time since 1961, a streak that included the program’s first-ever victory over a No. 1 team, when it defeated then-No. 1 Syracuse, 13-12. The Orange had received all 22 first-place votes in that week’s Inside Lacrosse poll.

“It’s awesome to kind of get to this point, right?” said associate head coach and offensive coordinator Neil Hutchinson. “But there’s a lot in front of us still. We still have everything that we want to accomplish. We’re just continuing to focus on getting better. Like, if we are our finished product right now, then it’s not going to matter in the NCAA Tournament. If this is what we are, let’s find ways to improve each day.”

After a crushing 17-7 defeat against No. 3 North Carolina, Harvard’s season has hit a rough stretch. The Crimson barely came out on top, 12-10, against an unranked Brown before getting obliterated in New Haven, Conn., by No. 12 Yale, 15-9, last week.

Harvard’s offense, the most efficient in the country during its early undefeated streak, has sputtered during the skid. Prior to its loss to North Carolina, the Crimson averaged 15 goals per game. Since then, it has shot just .259, which ranks in the bottom 15 in the country, while averaging only nine goals.

“Just gotta simplify it, you know, play our game. Play unselfish, like we know how to play,” said captain Logan Ip.

The offensive rut has been amplified by a defense that had previously allowed nine goals per game, letting in 14 per game over the last three matchups.

“We’ve got to come out in the first quarter and be way more aggressive and ready to play,” said senior defenseman Charlie Muller. “Over the past few games, we’ve been dull, and we’ve let other teams throw the first punch. Defensively, we just need to stick to our principles. We don’t change our defense for any opponents, so we’ve just got to come out hot.”

Regardless, the season has largely been a success for the Crimson, which is on track to make back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time in program history. Head coach Gerry Byrne is the first to helm back-to-back teams to a 6-0 record to begin the season in school history.

“We all care a lot,” said Muller. “Our captains, our senior leadership, do a good job emphasizing and putting lacrosse first. We’re here to be student athletes, but when we step in through the Jordan gates, it’s game time.”

The matchup is the Crimson’s first since Ip was drafted 18th overall in Tuesday’s PLL draft by the Boston Cannons, becoming just the ninth player in program history drafted to play professional lacrosse and the second drafted to the PLL.

“It means a lot,” said Ip. “I want to play lacrosse as much as possible. I love this game. I’m just very grateful.

“But definitely focused on Princeton,” the First-Team Midseason All-American added.

The Tigers (9-2, 3-1) are a formidable opponent. After losing the season opener against No. 16 Penn State, Princeton recovered with victories over No. 7 Maryland, No. 5 Syracuse, and No. 3 North Carolina.

“They’re a great team,” said Hutchinson. “They’re playing hard. They got a great goalie, great defensive group. They fly around, they’re a confident group, they’re well coached. They’re really good. So we’ve got to come up and play our best.”

The two sides are tied with No. 6 Cornell (8-3, 3-1) atop the Ivy League standings, and should the Big Red defeat Dartmouth on Saturday, both will rely on the Crimson defeating Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y., on April 25 at noon to secure hosting rights for the Ivy League Tournament.

Should the Crimson lose either remaining matchup, Saturday’s game will potentially be its seniors’ last on Jordan Field.

“This is a team that we haven’t beaten in my time here,” said Muller, who has started all four seasons in his time at Harvard. “So just know that we’re coming with everything we got.”

The matchup is the center of Harvard’s Cambridge Day celebration, featuring ten food trucks, beer gardens, and live music.

—Staff writer Maxwell P. Friedman can be reached at [email protected].